The Sword Excalibur


Excalibur (also sometimes referred to as Caliburn or Caledfwlch in Welsh) is the sword of the legendary King Arthur. This sword has such great powers that it is considered by many to have a magical influence on the true right to rule in Britain.

There are two schools of thought about the origins of Excalibur. Some people believe that this is the 'Sword in the Stone' that a young Arthur drew out to establish his right to the throne. Others believe that there were two swords in Arthurian legends and that Excalibur was a different sword that was given to King Arthur with Merlin's help by The Lady of The Lake after he broke the first in a battle with King Pellinore.

According to one of the first mentions of Excalibur in The History of the Kings of Britain (Geoffrey of Monmouth) Excalibur was forged on the Isle of Avalon and was ultimately given back to The Lady of The Lake when King Arthur died. In later years when Robert de Boron wrote Merlin the story saw Arthur draw Excalibur from the rock thus demonstrating that he was the rightful heir to the British throne.

Excalibur was held to have many mystical powers as it was forged by elves. It was, for example, said to blind King Arthur's enemies when he drew the sword and was held to have an unbreakable blade. The scabbard was also held to protect the person who wore Excalibur preventing them from suffering wounds or blood loss. In Arthurian legend Arthur lost the protection of Excalibur's scabbard when Morgan le Fay cast it into a lake. King Arthur then died after the Battle of Camlann.